Proposed bill calls on social media companies to help combat drug sales

WASHINGTON D.C. – Since 2021, state deaths by drug overdoses have decreased from 2,800 to 1,500, according to the Indiana Public Health Department. A new bill reintroduced by Sen. Todd Young looks to further decrease those numbers.

The Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act was named after two men who died from fentanyl laced drugs purchased on social media. The bipartisan order would require social media companies like Instagram, Facebook X and Snapchat to work with federal agencies in monitoring potential drug sales.

Currently, these groups and companies utilize natural language processing to detect code words for drugs in public posts, such as speed and skippy, according to Indiana University professor and substance abuse expert Jon Agley.

“If you see a conversation about skippy, it could be a peanut butter, it could be someone’s nickname or it could be a psychostimulant,” he said.

However, experts like privacy lawyer Joseph Cammarata, who represented Paula Jones, said the tech giants could cross a line by entering private conversations and reporting drug-referencing language to a federal agency or risk penalty.

“Where the concern arises is whether or not the provider will somehow get into private messages where there is no expectation that they would be public,” he said.

In a written statement to FOX59/CBS4, Senator Young said, “We need to do more to address the flow of these drugs that are poisoning young Americans, including distribution via social media.”

Although Cammarata supports the legislation, he said the potential breach of privacy issues will be a massive challenge as the bill moves forward.

“They’re not just mere throwaways, they’re significant concerns that should be addressed before this bill becomes law,” he said.

As of now, the bill has been read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.